When the World Stopped Laughing at China’s Humanoids
At first, the world laughed at China’s humanoid robotics ambitions. Then the tone shifted as its engineers developed increasingly capable and humanlike machines.
BHR-4
The BHR-4 is a humanoid robot developed by the Beijing Institute of Technology as the fourth generation in the BHR series, unveiled in 2008. Standing about 170 cm (5 feet 7 inches) tall, it featured 32 degrees of freedom, advanced balance control, and more fluid, humanlike motion than earlier versions. Equipped with vision and auditory sensors, BHR-4 could recognize objects, respond to voices, and perform coordinated tasks such as walking, gesturing, and interacting with people. It marked a key step in China’s humanoid robotics evolution, transitioning from basic locomotion research to intelligent, interactive systems.
China’s Humanoid Robots: From Mockery to Technological Triumph
China’s ambitions in humanoid robotics can be traced back to the 863 Program launched in 1986 to advance the country in high-tech fields.